Bio: The son of former major league pitcher Bryan Harvey, Hunter Harvey was selected by the Orioles with the 22nd overall pick in the first round of the 2013 draft. He said he wanted to sign quickly and he did just that signing for slot at $1,947,600. He dominated North Carolina high school hitters but his breaking stuff was inconsistent during the cold spring and may have cost him some draft spots. the Orioles felt he was the last top of the rotation projection arm in the draft and were elated he fell. After a dominating GCL hitters in five outings, he was promoted to the New York Penn League where he quickly became the youngest pitcher in the league. He tossed four and third shutout innings in his debut, striking out five before allowing three runs in his second start. He tossed another four and a third shutout innings in his final regular season start before upping the anti by tossing a career high five no hit inning, striking out seven Tri-City batters, all swinging.

Stuff: Harvey's stuff played up immediately at the pro level after the team took their time getting him on the mound by making sure he was physically ready. His fastball sat in the 93-95 MPH range early in games with a few 96s mixed in. His fastball is more of a "rising fastball" that seems to explode onto the batters though he does have some occasional late life. His curveball which was inconsistent in the cold North Carolina spring was a hammer strikeout pitch in the warm summer air. It his late tight movement and come in a 81-82 MPH. He didn't throw many changeups and it will be the pitch he'll need to develop in order to reach hi very high ceiling. During a pre-draft workout scouts had him throw 15 changeups in a row and he showed good feel for the pitch though it was inconsistent. If he can develop an average changeup he has top of the rotation stuff.

Pitchability and Intangibles:Harvey has a nice fluid delivery with no hint of effort. He's a high three quarters guy that allows him to get good leverage and pitch downhill. Growing up around professional baseball with his Dad, Harvey is not intimated at all by his surroundings. One scout said he's very confident, almost cocky in his demeanor, but he's a kid on a mission. He has all the intangibles to be at the top of this list next season if all goes well.

Conclusion:Harvey is exactly how you want your 1st round picks to look like. He's already has two plus pitches, good command, and a bulldog demeanor on the mound. On top of it his frame suggests he could even add more velocity and as long as he stays healthy, the sky is the limit for this young man. He'll most likely start 2014 in Delmarva's rotation but don't be surprised if he's pitching in Frederick before the year is out.